I had the pleasure of accompanying five of my colleagues from the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce on our annual trip to Washington, D.C., on May 9 and May 10. As a member of the Board of Directors at the Chamber as well as the Executive Board's Treasurer, and co-chair of the Chamber's Small Business Committee, I was well aware of the work we had in front of us to convince our legislators that serious consideration of a plan to relieve Staten Island businesses and residents from the tremendous burdens imposed by the recently increased tolls connecting Staten Island to New Jersey and the rest of New York City was warranted.

The drastic increases imposed by the Port Authority in 2011, if left unchanged, will result in as much as a 125 percent increase by 2015! In meetings with Congressman Grimm, Senator Schumer, Senator Gillibrand's office and Governor Cuomo's office, as well as with our counterparts in the New Jersey — the offices of Senators Menendez and Lautenberg — the Chamber's resounding message was that failure to take immediate action to remediate the toll increases will force businesses to leave Staten Island, resulting in a loss of jobs for residents as well as a lack of overall economic activity on the Island, and ultimately increased prices to our residents, who will no doubt have the toll increases passed on to them.

The Chamber of Commerce brought its message to Washington on behalf of all Staten Island residents and businesses, as well as in support of the concerns of the Staten Island Board of Realtors, Inc., the BUCKS business network, the Staten Island Home Improvement Contractors Association, the Building Industry of NYC, Inc., and the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation. Additionally, our plea for relief from these punitive tolls has garnered bipartisan support from our local, state and federal legislators, all of whom have signed off on a letter to Governor Cuomo, imploring him to revisit the Port Authority toll increases with an eye toward making his mantra "to keep New York open for business" a reality for Staten Island.

Success Stories

A 43 year old ironworker who fell four stories and sustained injuries to his ankle while installing a staircase settled his
claim for $1,500,000.00. The accident was due to the failure of the building owner and general contractor to provide a safe place to work.

A construction worker operating an asphalt roller settled his
case for $525,000.00 when the edge of the roadway he was paving collapsed into a trench being dug by a subcontractor causing him to sustain injuries to his leg.

A 54 year old commuter settled his
case against the NYCTA for $1,200,000.00. when he tripped and fell on a subway platform due to the pavement being in disrepair, causing him to fall forward and to strike his head on a train pulling into the station.

The estate of a 64 year old woman
received a settlement of $425,000.00 after she was struck and killed by a speeding tractor trailer while crossing the street at the intersection of Richmond Terrace and Port Richmond Avenue.

A $1,200,000.00 settlement was reached on behalf of a 54 year old man from Staten Island, New York, who, while in the course of his employment as a bus driver, was rear-ended on the Garden State Parkway and caused to suffer injuries to his back and neck as well as a fractured rib and fractured pelvis.

A 47-year-old building superintendent who sustained injuries to his head and right side of his body due to a tripping hazard at his job site
received a settlement of $300,000.00 from the electrical company performing work at the site.

A 43 year old construction worker was caused to sustain injuries to his back, shoulder and hand when the elevator he was riding malfunctioned and dropped 8 floors. He
received $350,000.00 in the settlement of his claim against the building owner, maintenance company and elevator company.

The administrator of the estate of a 69 year old man who suffered stage four pressure sores while a patient at a Queens nursing home
settled the case for $400,000.00 after the man died.